The invention relates to a food processor, especially a food processor for use in the home which has unique safety features.
Traditional food processors include a drive motor, associated gearing and a drive shaft for receiving a work device or a plurality of interchangeable work devices. These work devices generally include a structural unit arranged in one common housing which is coupled to the drive shaft. The cost for a food processor of this type is relatively high, depending on whether a safety switch is present, which permits connecting the drive motor only when the cover is placed on the work holder. As a result, the cover of the work holder can be removed directly following disconnection of the safety switch.
Therefore, during discharge of the motor following current interruption by the safety switch, a user can reach into the work area of the work device.
Furthermore a food processor of the aforementioned type is already known in which a so-called rod mixer, in the form of a separate kitchen device, provides the drive. Since a conventional rod mixer is already present in most homes, the cost for such a food processor is considerably lower than the cost of a food processor with a built-in or integrated drive motor. When a rod mixer is purchased separately, the relation between the cost on the one hand and the range of possible uses on the other hand is more favorable than in conventional integrated food processors, because the rod mixer can also be used independently of the food processor.
In conventional food processors of the above type, no safety measure is provided to prevent the user from reaching into the work area while the machine is running. Also, it is not possible to provide a safety switch of the above type because the rod mixer forms an entity unto itself independent of the food processor.